News in brief

Carlsberg boss Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen is urging shareholders of Scottish & Newcastle to press management under John Dunsmore to accept a revised 780p a share bid from the Danish brewer and its Dutch ally Heineken.

He said: 'This is a very stretched offer and I can understand if S&N's investors are growing frustrated.' But many of S&N's big institutional shareholders are standing behind Dunsmore, who is refusing to open the company's books unless the predators offer at least 800p.

Analysts believe that Carlsberg and Heineken will be forced to raise their offer for the third time in as many months. One said: 'They [Carlsberg and Heineken] will look daft if S&N slips through their fingers now. All they have to do is raise the offer price by 2.5 per cent.'

Central to the value gap between the two sides is BBH, the Russian brewer jointly controlled by S&N and Carlsberg. The Danes deny that BBH is worth more than their 780p a share offer would imply, but are refusing to allow S&N to publish full disclosure of BBH's future growth projections.

TV Centre sale plans

The BBC has appointed property consultant Jones Lang Lasalle to sell its historic Television Centre in west London.

Potential buyers for the site include Westfield, the giant Australian developer, and Helical Bar, the UK-quoted property firm led by the charismatic Mike Slade. They both own development sites nearby.

A sale has long been mooted after the BBC committed to move a number of departments to Salford, Manchester, and BBC director-general Mark Thompson's disappointment at the outcome of the broadcaster's licence fee settlement last year made a sale inevitable.

The BBC needs to sell key property assets to make good revenue shortfalls. But property insiders said that while the site was valuable, it will not fetch as much as the BBC originally hoped because valuations are falling sharply in the wake of the credit crunch.

The move to Salford - expected in 2009 - will affect children's programmes, sport, Five Live and new media, while a reduced BBC News staff is due to transfer to Broadcasting House, in central London.

Malaria breakthrough

A drug firm backed by the former chairman of Regal Petroleum Frank Timis has just achieved a major breakthrough, after its method of treating children suffering from malaria enjoyed positive results in clinical trials.

The drug and delivery system has been formulated and developed by ProtoPharma, based in Norwich. The treatment for malaria in infants and children uses a multiple-dose spray device for delivery under the tongue.

A spray is easier to administer to children. Pills often cause vomiting, while there are not enough nurses or clean needles to inject youngsters.

Timis, who was convicted in the 1990s of heroin possession, owns 25 per cent of Proto-Pharma, which hopes to float next year. The business is potentially looking to float next year.